The present invention relates to a control device utilized in a cyclically operating printing machine for generating a sequence of pulses occurring at predetermined time instants during a working cycle. A plurality of decentral time pulse generating control devices have been known in printing machines, which have been used, for example for a cycle printed sheet control, sequential switching the printing machine on and off or a cyclic sheet separation.
In German patent publication DE 2,220,601 a control system has been disclosed for a multiple ink rotary printing machine, operated for the activation of the printing mechanism or individual functional groups of the printing mechanism, at sequential time points during the running of a sheet in the printing machine. This known system includes pulsing stages for generating clock signals corresponding to the angular positions of the rotated single revolution shaft. This impulse control includes a signal transmitter, an interrogator responser, a signal generator, and a shift register train connected to each other.
The disadvantage of this known control device is that the pulsing stages of the control of the printing machine utilized for generation of time pulses can be used for one purpose only and therefore a number of time pulse generating control devices are required in the printing machine.
A further disadvantage of the known control system resides in that the control pulsing stages can prepare only unmodified time signals and can not be used for signal modifying, for example for producing time signals which are required for controlling dead time periods of the positioning units of the printing machine.
Furthermore, with the known devices it is necessary to use pulse forming stages which are constructed only for a non-changeable pulse width for generating pulses of various widths.
The entire disclosure of the above mentioned patent publication is incorporated herein by reference.